


With You Everytime

by TailorNorata



Series: Forged in Flames [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Peter Hale, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 12:57:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14977616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TailorNorata/pseuds/TailorNorata
Summary: Stiles knows recovery isn't easy and he isn't going to let the man he loves go through it alone.





	With You Everytime

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GracieBirdie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GracieBirdie/gifts).



Stiles woke up with an intensely uneasy feeling in his gut. **  
**

He knew it was coming from Peter, probably subconsciously send through their bond.

Turning his head he saw the other side of the bed was empty.

So Peter probably went to sleep on the couch again.

With a sigh Stiles stood up and stumbled towards the door to check the living room for his boyfriend.

As expected Peter was on the couch, tossing as much as the space allowed, face twisted in distress, clearly in the midst of another nightmare.

He contemplated what to do.

Peter still tried to shield Stiles from the worst of his symptoms, tried to be the healthy, stable partner he wished he could be. But Stiles had entered their relationship with full knowledge of the trauma the man had experienced, he had never thought or expected loving the man would be easy.

Point was, if Stiles intervened Peter would likely feel guilty for needing Stiles’ help.

But if he didn’t then Peter would continue suffering right now.

And Stiles had a very hard time accepting that.

So his decision was basically already made.

He knelt down beside the couch and encased Peter’s head with his hands.

Closing his eyes Stiles entered Peter’s mind as easily as he walked into another room.

Since the first time Stiles had visited Peter’s mind the two of them had built a connection far stronger than Stiles had known was possible and they were as familiar in each other’s minds as in their own.

 

_In front of Stiles was a well known scene._

_The burning Hale house._

_He saw Peter running into the house._

_Since the first time he had seen this the scene had changed a lot though._

_Peter looked almost like himself, not the burn victim of the past. Occasionally scar tissue crawled over his skin, but it never stayed, it was like his nightmares, sometimes there was nothing for a long time but then they came back and pushed the damage back to the surface._

_Peter wasn’t helpless against the fire either._

_He ran into that house and instead of trying to save his family he tore down the walls of the building while screaming at the flames licking his body._

_He shifted into his impressive beta form and his eyes glowed red - not blue._

_This was a manifestation of Peter’s trauma but it was also a manifestation of his process._

_Stiles was still standing there and watching Peter while the fire started to die down around his partner. It got smaller and smaller while the trees faded away and the clearing got wider._

_In the end the two of them were standing, side by side in front of Peter’s family grave._

_Stiles intertwined his fingers with Peter’s and looked at him, seeing a small smile._

_“I am dreaming, right?”_

_Stiles smiled back, Peter had started to be very aware of his episodes, usually always on the brink of waking up because he knew it wasn’t real._

_He just wasn’t quite there yet._

_“Yes.” Stiles said warmly._

_Peter inhaled shakily-_

_They were both back in their living room._

_Stiles mind was still connected to Peter’s and he could see himself with the man’s eyes while his own eyes were still closed._

_He felt Peter’s love for him and a moment later shame and guilt over having had another nightmare._

Carefully Stiles retreated into his own mind and opened his eyes while letting go of Peter’s face.

“I wish you would be able to understand this isn’t something to feel guilty about.”

Peter sighed deeply and nodded “Yeah, yeah I know, it’s not my burden to carry alone-”

Stiles placed his index finger over Peter’s lips and shook his head.

They just stared at each other for a few moments, Stiles silently begging Peter to actually understand and Peter seeming conflicted before sighing again and brushing his tousled and sweat soaked hair back.

“I apologize. You are right. You are my mate and I’d be angry if you expected me to not help you dealing with a traumatic experience.”

His voice got angrier when he continued “I…it’s…I just wished I was over it! I can’t believe it’s still haunting me, I should be stronger-”

Stiles pressed his lips together and Peter stopped himself this time before his shoulders sagged.

“You’re right, this is trauma victim talk. It’s just another part of dealing with the experience. I still wish I could somehow make it up to you.”

With a small smile Stiles took Peter’s hand.

“You could try not to leave me alone in our bed every time you feel an episode coming. I know you feel the need to protect me from it, but I wish we’d find a way to change that to you seeking me out instead. Since it’d make it a lot easier for me to support you in those situations.”

With another sigh Peter nodded.

“I’ll try.”

Stiles stood up.

“That’s all I’m asking. And I don’t expect it to work right away or soon or anything, you know that. Come on.”

He gently pulled Peter up and squeezed his hand.

“Let’s have a shower and go back to bed.”

 

Stiles helped Peter get rid of his clothes and when they were underneath the pleasantly warm spray of water he started to shampoo Peter’s hair.

He knew his mate had no problem doing this himself but it was an easy excuse to giving Peter lots of small touches to ground him and fully pull him back into the present - back to him.

To his surprise Peter suddenly wrapped his arms around him and buried his face in the side of Stiles’ neck.

After a short moment Stiles let his hands drop to Peter’s back and hugged him back with assuring strength.

“Thank you…” Peter mumbled and Stiles smiled, pulling himself closer to Peter’s solid form.

“Always. I love you, with everything that includes. And I will be with you, through everything. I went with you through the fire the first time and I will go through it with you when it’ll be the last time and any other time till then. You hear me?”

He felt Peter nod.

Stiles felt a little insecure when he asked the next words. Because he knew what he said was true but he also needed Peter to know that.

“Do you believe me?”

Without hesitation he felt Peter nodding again.

Some tension he had been holding in his shoulders left and Stiles fully relaxed into the embrace.

“Good.”

 

After the shower they just dried each other off but didn’t bother getting dressed again, instead they simply climbed into bed and held each other close, drifting contently in the union that was their tangled minds.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a little addition inspired by a prompt my darling Grace gave me :)  
> I hope you enjoyed it!  
> Leave a comment, it makes me happy :D


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